Fujifilm X-Pro1 in-depth review

Lenses: overall impressions

The X-Pro1's initial lens set consists of the XF 18mm F2 R, XF 35mm F1.4 R, and XF 60mm F2.4 R Macro, and we've used all three extensively while testing the camera. With angles of view equivalent to 28mm, 50mm and 90mm lenses on full frame they cover the classic wide/normal/short telephoto triad, with the added bonus of 1:2 macro from the 60mm. We're not going to formally test the lenses here - instead we're going to give a brief summary of our experiences with them. For a second opinion based on a full set of technical measurements we suggest you look at Klaus Schroiff's reviews at photozone.de, which match up pretty well with our real-world experience.

The XF 18mm F2 R is a small, very portable wideangle. It's sharp in the centre even wide open, but has to be stopped down a bit to get the corners to sharpen up fully. However as you'll often shoot a wideangle around F5.6 - F8 for depth of field anyway, this isn't too much of a problem in practice.

The XF 35mm F1.4 R is far and away our favourite of the three initial lenses. Image quality is superb and focusing is reasonably fast; overall there's very little not to like here. In fact we'd go so far as to say that this is one of the very best new lenses we've seen in the last few years.

If we were to buy just one lens for the X-Pro1, this would be it.

The XF 60mm F2.4 R Macro is a lens that looks great on paper as a combined portrait/macro lens. Optically it's fine (although see below), but operationally it's far from perfect. The 'by wire' manual focus is relatively unresponsive, making macro work slightly awkward. Meanwhile autofocus is distinctly slow, especially in low light, which means it's not great as a 'portrait' lens; we suspect the upcoming 56mm F1.4 will be a better choice for this.

Lens corrections

Fujifilm's XF lenses may look very traditional on the outside, with their large aperture and focus rings, but on the inside they're very modern indeed, and take full advantage of the additional design flexibility afforded by digital capture. Most notably, it's clear that the X-Pro system makes full use of software corrections, which are applied automatically for distortion, vignetting and chromatic aberration. This helps make the X-Pro1's images look very clean indeed.

Distortion correction

The X-Pro1 follows modern practice by integrating software distortion correction into its image processing chain. This is essentially transparent to the user - the electronic viewfinder feed is corrected 'on the fly' (so you compose using a corrected image), the camera's JPEG output is automatically corrected, and RAW files converted through both SilkyPix and Adobe Camera RAW are too. You only need to worry about it if you use a RAW converter that doesn't understand how to apply corrections.

It's easy enough to see what the camera is really doing, though; if you enable the 'Shoot Without Lens' menu option and partially unmount the lens (so it's still firmly held by the mount but not locked in place), then the camera shows the uncorrected image. This shows that the 18mm F2 and 60mm F2.4 both use software correction, for barrel and pincushion distortion respectively, while the 35mm F1.4 is fully optically corrected. We've illustrated this below using a traditional distortion chart (note that the camera moved slightly between shots with the 35mm).

18mm,
corrected

18mm,
uncorrected

35mm,
corrected

35mm, uncorrected

60mm, corrected

60mm, uncorrected

One oddity is that distortion correction for the XF 18mm F2 lens is applied somewhat differently by the camera's JPEG processing, the supplied Raw File Converter, and Adobe Camera Raw. This is shown in the rollover below; the extreme edges of the frame are slightly compressed in the ACR conversion relative to the camera's JPEG. Raw File Converter, in comparison, does something very odd indeed, and manages to move objects in the centre of the frame. There's no such problem with the other lenses.

Camera JPEG

Adobe Camera Raw

Raw File Converter

It's important to appreciate that while only one of these versions can strictly be 'correct', none of them looks obviously wrong in isolation. You'll only really notice the difference in distortion correction if you overlay them like this, or look closely at the positions of objects at the edge of the frame.

Distortion correction-induced softness

Software distortion correction inevitably results in a slight softening of areas the image that get 'stretched' during the process. Barrel distortion correction stretches the corners of the image projected by the lens, and therefore tends not to be too problematic in normal use, as the corners of the image rarely contain critical image content. (Let's not forget that conventionally-corrected lenses often show soft corners too.)

The pincushion correction used by the XF 60mm F2.4 Macro is potentially a different story, because it stretches the centre of the image and is therefore likely to affect the main subject. The extent of this correction is small though (by our reckoning, about 2.5%). If the distortion correction is well-implemented, then the drop in sharpness should be pretty well proportional to the rescaling, and such a small decrease isn't likely to be a serious problem in the grand scheme of things. The crops below show the exact degree of rescaling involved here.

The big question is, of course, how much this might affect your images in the real world? To illustrate this, we've taken an uncorrected image with the 60mm F2.4, converted the raw file with no sharpening, and manually applied the same amount of distortion correction as the camera using Photoshop's 'Lens Correction' module. We've then sharpened the uncorrected and corrected images by the same amount (Unsharp mask, Amount 200, Radius 0.3).

XF 60mm F2.8 Macro, F4, uncorrected

Distortion correction applied

100% crops, centre of frame

100% crops, lower centre

If you stare at these crops really closely, then you can see that the image has been slightly softened by the resampling process used for distortion correction, and in these side-by-side examples the corrected version just fractionally lacks 'bite'. But the effect is small; you can see it at 100% on-screen, but the impact on a print would be minimal. (In practice the camera also appears to compensate by applying a fraction more sharpening after correction.)

Overall, this means that images from the 60mm F2.4 Macro may not always quite match the pixel-level detail and microcontrast that typifies the 35mm, but they won't be obviously 'bad' either. Indeed if you're using the lens to shoot portraits wide open, then this normally won't matter at all - most subjects feel more flattered by a softer image. Likewise at the apertures typically used for macro work, any resampling effects will likely be overwhelmed by diffraction softening.

Vignetting Correction

The X-Pro1 also applies vignetting correction in-camera, with the 18mm F2 using it most. This is illustrated in the rollover below, with all lenses set to their maximum aperture. A comparison between corrected out-of-camera JPEGs and the corresponding RAW files converted using ACR shows identical results, suggesting that the correction is applied before the RAW file is written. To be honest we'd prefer to have the option to turn vignetting correction off, although on aesthetic rather than technical grounds (vignetting quite often visually enhances, rather than degrades certain types of image, and we frequently end up adding it back in using Photoshop).

18mm, F2,
corrected

18mm, F2,
uncorrected

35mm, F1.4,
corrected

35mm, F1.4, uncorrected

60mm, F2.4, corrected

60mm, F2.4, uncorrected

Chromatic Aberration Correction

The X-Pro1 applies chromatic aberration correction to its JPEG processing, and Raw File Converter does the same. However Adobe Camera Raw doesn't do so by default, and this allows us to gauge how the lenses look prior to correction. The conclusion from this comparison is that, even before any correction, the 35mm F1.4 shows no obvious lateral CA, while the 60mm F2.4 shows just an insignificant hint of the blue/yellow variety. Typically for a wideangle, though, the 18mm F2 shows visible green/magenta fringing towards the corner of the frame.

18mm F2 @ F8, JPEG

100% crop from camera JPEG, top left

100% crop, RAW + RFC

100% crop, RAW + ACR

The 100% crops here tell the story clearly enough. Adobe Camera Raw isn't applying any correction in this conversion, and cyan/magenta fringing from lateral chromatic aberration is clearly visible. In contrast, both the camera JPEG and the RAW converted through Raw File Converter are applying partial correction (technically they appear to be scaling the image's red channel to match the green, while leaving the blue alone). As a result the files show only blue/yellow fringing, which is generally less objectionable.

While Adobe doesn't correct CA by default, with ACR 7 the process is a simple 'one-click' option in the 'Lens Corrections' tab. When this is enabled, ACR removes the worst of the CA to give results very similar to Raw File Converter.

Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration

Unlike the lateral variety, longitudinal chromatic aberration (colour fringing in front and behind the plane of focus) doesn't appear to be corrected at all. However while it can be visible if you go looking for it, it's rarely any kind of problem in practice. The example below was shot using the 35mm wide open, which we'd expect to be the worst-case scenario with the current lenses. Longitudinal CA is visible as fringing that's green behind the plane of focus and magenta in front, but it's not hugely objectionable and certainly no worse than we'd expect from a fast prime.

XF 35mm F1.4 @ F1.4, JPEG

XF 35mm F1.4 @ F1.4, RAW + ACR

100% crop, behind plane of focus

100% crop, in front of plane of focus

Does software correction mean bad lens design?

There is a school of thought that using software corrections counts as 'bad' design, and that all lenses should be fully optically-corrected for distortion in the traditional fashion. We simply don't agree. This approach was essential when shooting film simply because there was no other option; there's no sensible way of correcting distortion on slide film or when printing a negative. Likewise, SLRs ideally need fully-corrected lenses so that the viewfinder image allows accurate compostion (distortion correction inevitably discards parts of the recorded image).

However, with digital capture software corrections are easy to apply and work very effectively. They allow manufacturers more freedom in designing lenses, not just in terms of optics but also physical size. Wideangles in particular can be made smaller and lighter, as the front element can be made smaller, for example. And because with mirrorless cameras you never view directly though the lens, the (electronic) viewfinder image can be corrected 'on-the-fly' to allow accurate composition (and invariably is). Obviously when using the optical finder, it simply doesn't matter how the lens is corrected.

Because of this, it makes perfect sense for lens designers to leave a little distortion behind to be corrected in software, and concentrate on minimizing other aberrations instead. Likewise, if any residual chromatic aberration can be cleaned-up in processing, then why not do so? Surely it's the final image that counts, not how how you get there.

Comments

I was looking at getting the X-E2 second hand on E-bay, but with X-Pro2 coming soon the X-Pro1, brand new, with two beautiful prime lenses and the gorgeous full leather case is available at a no-brainer price of £649 in the UK.My wife bought me this unbeatable package as a present for our 30th anniversary! What a wife? (love you so much Fee X).

The camera IQ is amazing, handling is fantastic, build quality is superb, (not a plastic part in sight, more than can be said for a comparatively priced CanNikon DSLR). I take it everywhere with me, it's small light and always at hand.If like me you don't have the time or the money to buy an X-pro2 and if you don't just want the latest, buy what is still, (for me at least) the greatest camera bargain going. My advice is grab one before it's gone!

I've spotted this incredible 2 lens offer here in the UK as well. Very tempting, but the 28mm f2.8 would be a nothing focal length for me, too close to the 18mm. Fortunately, I found a mint outfit from a London Leica dealer whom I've dealt with before so I know the quality of his used equipment, and this kit comprises of the f2/18mm and the very desirable f1.4/35mm.

Well, I guess it's an early christmas for me this year. Today I'll receive my (like new with warranty) 2015 Fuji X-Pro 1 body. The price is insanely low for such a nice camera. It really is. I'm sure it will be a nice complement to my X-E2.

Yes, better camera models are coming at the end of this year. Possibly with a new higher resolution sensor, faster autofocus and more features. I'll get my hands on that stuff in a year or two, when everybody dumps it, like they dump the X-Pro 1 bodies now. Man I love capitalism.

Well, I can tell you right now that you've got something nice to look forward to photominion. I just bought my X-Pro 1 and my first impression is very good. It makes the X-E2 feel like a toy and using the 27mm I haven't really found any difference in focus speed. Not sure what the fuss is about. It's not lightning quick. None of the Fuji cameras are. Focussing speed certainly is adequate and again, I don't see a difference in speed compared to the X-E2. It does take a little longer for the X-Pro 1 to write the file to the SD card. Since both cameras are about the same price, I recommend the X-Pro 1 if you don't need every bit of extra speed and if you prefer to hold a slightly bigger and noticeably better build camera.

I am a rather new member and I must say that the few dopey questions I have asked have usually been answered with great information and a lack of sarcasm and judgement. They were not dopey on purpose. If anyone would like to visit the images in my portfolio you will at least know that I am not just obsessed with cameras but sing them to shoot, share, publish et. So without further ado, just purchased a new Fuji X Pro1 and bam I read the rumor page and it says Fuji X Pro2 verified rumor will be introduced this year. Besides offering the advice, "just shut up and shoot', What would you do? Is this even the right spot to leave my qesriom

Don't worry too much about it.I also just bought the X Pro 1,well aware of the rumors. It's all about IQ right?I can assure you,you wont be disappointed! Far away from it.And I really wonder whether the IQ(mind you, IQ!)will be very different from this one.All else, yes for sure.

I bought an X-Pro1 a week or so ago - I've got a use for it (I wanted a compact 50 that's not too demanding) and they can be had new for £350 in the UK! Happy days. No doubt a new flagship X-Pro2 will be announced soon, but it'll be a very expensive camera, presumably sitting above the X-T1 in the range.

What is the seemingly insurmountable problem with studying a traditional 35mm film rangefinder and re-engineering it into an equally capable digital rangefinder instead of trying to re-invent the wheel? The idea that you cannot accurately use manual focus is absurd. The whole focusing by wire thing is absurd. Again, why is everyone trying to re-invent the wheel?

After using one for a while and with the latest firmware I find the camera to be quite superb. Lets face it, most of us are looking for IQ firstly and has been said in the review lenses like the 35 1.4 are second to none in my book.

I just purchased a used X-_pro1 like new in box and I am very curious about the firmware updates that seem to address its previous shortcomings. Should I ask the seller about these because I am naive and no nothing about these on her camera is it a simple fix to update the firmware Your recommendation I don't even know the latest and best ones. or are they available fre e or can they be user updated. and again what is the latest firm ware and how would you perceive this as situation.

Firstly I really would like to thank almost everyone for the generous and non combative input. So as long as I am curious about one further issue, any gracious input will be devoured with great enjoyment. Some lenses, whether short, medium or full on zooms have O.I.S and some don't. So any other advice on gaining sharpness and stability that works well for you, hardware wise , please let me know because I am well aware of the great impact shutter speed and stillness etc. have. And please take a moment to take a look at my gallery just so you understand that it is images and not equipment I am really hungry for. Thanks in advance, and yeah thanks Light Catcher LT for the real corn on the cob. "things what you are asking do exist and they are called Leica..Really??

Brace the camera against your face with your left hand under the lens to steady it. A thumb-grip, like the Lensmate, helps as well.

Set the camera to continuous low and learn to fire off two or three shots. many times one will be sharper than the other.

After that, just practice being as smooth as possible while gently pressing the shutter release, I find a screw-in soft release button helps. Also, use a faster SD card like the Sandisk Extreme Pro 95 Mb/s.

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